GRS and Europa shadow transit tonight - 3rd May

[Peco4321]

 

10 hours ago, Stu said:

A pain, but shouldn't stop you observing Jupiter. Also looks relatively easy to shield?

Thanks Stu, that's given me hope as this issue was starting to get on my nerves. I'll start a new thread for advice and images of what others have 'created'. 

[Stu]

6 minutes ago, Peco4321 said:

 

Thanks Stu, that's given me hope as this issue was starting to get on my nerves. I'll start a new thread for advice and images of what others have 'created'. 

What you need is a pair of Shane's boxers, up on a clothes line as he posted earlier in this thread ??

I'm only half joking actually. Nick ( @cotterless45has this down to a fine art. Clothes lines, heavy black out blankets and clothes props to lift them up high enough to block out the glare from local lights. Hopefully he will see this and post up some details.

[cotterless45]

No problemo, here before and after,

[Saganite]

Love it Nick !  There is a man dedicated to his craft 

[Saganite]

Put the Dob out for a quick look at the transit, between 9.15 and 10.45. Cracking views at 214X, superb little " bullet hole" and the the GRS looking distinctly orange. 

[Mark at Beaufort]

1 hour ago, Peco4321 said:

 

Thanks Stu, that's given me hope as this issue was starting to get on my nerves. I'll start a new thread for advice and images of what others have 'created'. 

You can resolve this problem and use it when required without messing up the garden. I use a retractable clothes line which I connect across the bottom of the garden. I have black ground sheets (from BM stores - http://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/ground-sheet-253784) which clip onto the clothes line and completely shield the end of the garden. House lights cannot be seen through the fabric. If I need extra height I use extendable clothes props.

I can add a photo later if this helps. If you start a new thread I can move posts as required rather than leaving it under observing Jupiter.

Hope this helps.

[chiltonstar]

At least for Jupiter, clothes lines etc etc are not required! I used to use a clothes line plus groundsheet, but stopped after a gust of wind tore off the groundsheet one night and nearly toppled my scope.....

After this brilliant transit (I watched until the mist descended), Jupiteroholics may care to look Thurs evening, when Ganymede crosses at the same time as the GRS, followed by the shadow. 

Chris

[Saganite]

Good grief, high tech solutions, and Shane's boxers, 

[Mark at Beaufort]

5 minutes ago, chiltonstar said:

At least for Jupiter, clothes lines etc etc are not required! I used to use a clothes line plus groundsheet, but stopped after a gust of wind tore off the groundsheet one night and nearly toppled my scope.....

Chris

I agree Chris that you only need blackouts for viewing DSOs. However, the clips are connected through the ground sheet guide holes and onto the clothes line. If its slightly windy I use the side guide holes and clip these onto the extenable clothes props. This holds the sheets reasonable steady.

[Piero]

It was a very beautiful sight! And yes, I confirm what said above about colours. On my telescope / finder, the GRS was dark brown and the circle was visible. The Equatorial belts were light brown / orange. Festoon colour reminds me of the North Sea in the winter when agitated: a kind of grey / dark blue. A single polarising filter can be useful to me.

I find it amazing that the shape of the GRS was visible and defined with a small telescope like my 60mm. By visible and defined I mean that the dark oval shape was visible, coloured and surrounded by a white border. I believe that that white border thickness should be technically behind the resolution of a small telescope (e.g. a 60mm), a bit like the thickness of the Cassini division is. So, this seems to me another case where contrast (here expressed as tone difference and line shape, rather than dots like in double stars) is sufficiently high that our eye is able to discern a difference. Therefore, to me, this is a situation highlighting the importance of contrast which is often neglected in favour of the most considered telescope resolution.

Linking these points together and assuming an eye not much affected by floaters, very good collimated optics and perfect seeing, I think it is reasonable to doubt whether the limit of 0.5mm exit pupil is not necessarily true at least for planetary observation..

What are your thoughts? 

[Peter Drew]

Pleased to say that I observed the same events last night here in Tenerife with my C8. Conditions here have improved dramatically and the views of Jupiter and those of Mars and Saturn are some of the best I've ever had. Jupiter 250x, Saturn 500x and Mars 500x easily achieved, a SCT can give excellent results in the right conditions.  

[dweller25]

Here is my drawing of Jupiter on the 3rd May at 9:10BST